The artist: DEVO

The CD/DVD: DEVO Live 1980 (Music Video Distributors)
Back in 1980, nobody thought that DEVO, a quirky semi-novelty new wave rock band, would turn out to be one of the most prescient and influential musical touchstones for the next 25 years. But the spudboys from Kent State left more of a mark than anybody could have suspected. From the background music for dozens of movies and TV shows (including “Rugrats” and “Rushmore”) to the musical direction for countless commercials over the last few years, the guys from DEVO have proven that, once freed from the restraints of a very restrictive Warner Brothers recording contract, they are capable of being an industrial music force to be reckoned with.

Add to that the way that mainstream radio has embraced the once “offbeat” sounds that were their stock-in-trade, and it’s striking that a band of “geeks” made music that still echoes in recent hit songs by Britney Spears, Green Day, Franz Ferdinand and even Madonna.

Then there’s also the whole “De-evolution” philosophy that grounded the band’s lyrics and approach to music. Basically, De-evolution is the theory that, rather than progressing, man is regressing, growing progressively stupider as things wind down for the human race. (If the direct line from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush isn’t proof of that, I don’t know what is.)

So it’s only fitting that the DVD side of this dualdisc (DVD on one side, CD on the flip) begins with a Star Wars-style screen crawl that details DEVO’s battle against the political tides of the 1980s, and declares: “Now, 25 years later, the reign of Ronald Reagan seems in retrospect like a ray of sunshine compared to the present-day rule of Emperor ‘W’ and his fellow fundamentalist enemies around the world.” We are then treated to a complete DEVO performance from their prime, taped on August 17th, 1980.

This is DEVO at their most vital, performing their trademark New Wave bombast, with wild synthesizers and guitars layered over impeccably crafted hyper-pop tunes. That the lyrics all have to deal with man’s stupidity to man is a bonus. This concert film was recreated and assembled from many surviving chunks after being thought lost for years. The end result is not a technical masterpiece. This is basically what any rock concert videotaped in 1980 would look like, but the performances more than make up for the pedestrian presentation. The fuzzy video makes the concert seem sort of like a futuristic relic from an earlier era.

Standout performances are “Jocko Homo,” “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA” and “Uncontrollable Urge,” but all the songs, mostly taken from DEVO’s first three albums, are great. If all you know about DEVO is “Whip It,” then you owe it to yourself to check this dualdisc out. There’s so much more to the band than that one song. But they do perform it on this disc, as well.

The DVD side contains some bonus material. There are a couple of performances by DEVO as “Dove, the Band of Love” — their born-again alter-ego band, which was a parody of alt-Christian pop music before that genre even existed. We’re also treated to the film and song “Tunnel Of Life,” featuring DEVO’s mascot, Booji Boy.

The CD side is a little odd in that it eliminates some of the material from the DVD, including “Jocko Homo.” If you just want the audio of a live DEVO concert from 1980, you may want to seek out the expanded version of “DEVO Live” that Rhino Handmade released a few years back. It was recorded four days later for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, and has better overall audio quality than this release.

But that is missing the point somewhat. DEVO was as much a visual band as they were musical artists. Seeing them perform is as much fun as hearing them, and this is DEVO at the top of their game. After watching this concert, and looking around at the current political landscape, you’ll agree with Booji Boy when he says “We’re all DEVO, Dad!”

-Rudy Panucci

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